by M J Hardy
She doesn’t even speak, just crosses the distance between us and before I can even react, slaps me hard across the face and then I feel the cold hard steel of her gun pressing against my temple as she hisses, “I’ve had it with this place. It’s time to move this on.”
The terror grips me hard as she hisses, “Come with me.”
My heart beats so frantically I’m sure she can hear it as I allow her to propel me towards the door. Despite the threat, I think fast because the door is open and this could be my only chance.
If she takes me downstairs, I may be able to distract her and fight back. I must fight back because that’s my only hope.
Her voice is low and bitter as she snarls, “Don’t think about trying to escape, because if you did it will be the last thing you do.”
Her fingers grasp my neck hard as she uses her other hand to grip my arm and she pushes me towards the door. If I thought I had half a chance of escaping, I underestimated the woman holding me so tightly and before I know what is happening, she forces me into the dreaded room with the black sheet and roughly pushes me onto the bed. Once again, she slaps me hard and as I taste the copper in the blood in my mouth, she snaps the metal handcuff on one of my wrists and the other part of it to the bed post.
I start to tremble in fear as I see the madness in her eyes and she grabs another set and does the same to my only free hand.
Feeling an immense wave of fear, I open my mouth to scream in desperation, but she stuffs a rolled-up rag in it and hisses, “Try that again and I’ll cut out your tongue.”
Sobbing, I watch with despair as she fumbles in a drawer and removes a bottle and a syringe and says roughly, “Welcome to oblivion.”
The pain is sharp as I feel the needle pierce my skin and as I look at her in horror, she smiles sadistically and says in a low voice, “Trust me, it’s for the best, you really don’t want to know what happens next.”
Chapter 24
Esme
“Mum”
Billy calls me as he runs inside and I sigh. What now? These boys and Lucas will be the death of me. I get no rest or space at all and I am trying to complete an online job application for the local supermarket to work nights. I’ve decided that if I want to raise our standard of living, I need to get a job and working nights while Lucas minds the boys, seems the perfect solution. The money’s good and nobody will even know. I can keep up with the neighbours and they will be none the wiser—brilliant.
“Mum!”
“What?”
I try to keep the irritation out of my voice but it’s becoming increasingly hard to do because all I want is half an hour to myself before I get the tea, sorry supper, ready.
My youngest obviously hasn’t read the memo because he bursts in the room breathless and briefly I wonder if something serious has happened. A sense of panic sets in as I say urgently, “What is it?”
“There’s someone waving at me opposite.”
“Who?”
“A red flag, I think.”
“What are you talking about, who’s waving a red flag?”
“An arm.”
“Honestly Billy, slow down and tell me what you saw.”
“I was playing in the garden and saw something in that weird house opposite. It was a red flag waving out of the window. Then I heard Pixie crying and came in, but when I looked back it was gone.”
“Are you sure, I mean, it could be something else entirely?”
“I saw it.” Billy’s face wrinkles up in frustration and I feel bad for doubting him. A red flag - danger.
My heart pounds as I think about what it could mean. Was it a cry for help, an innocent act that would make me look foolish if I went round there to enquire? I’m not sure what to do, so say sharply, “Leave it with me, Billy, you did the right thing telling me.”
All thoughts of my job application leave my mind as I head downstairs. Maybe Nancy saw it, maybe she will know what to do.
Shouting to the boys, I tell them I’ll be next door and almost run to the front door without thinking of checking they’re ok with that.
I’m not even sure what I’ll tell her, but as soon as she answers, she must see the panic in my face because she nods her head. “Ryan told me.”
“Ryan?”
“You’re here about the house opposite, aren’t you?”
She pulls me inside and I follow her to the kitchen and we look over at the house behind us.
“Ryan told me he saw somebody waving something red out of the window. It looked like a piece of fabric, but it was a deliberate act to attract attention. What should we do?”
“I was hoping you’d have the answer to that.”
Nancy seems worried and then sighs heavily. “I don’t think we can leave it. We must enquire, at least. Let’s see Keith Wickham. I would ask Jasmine, but she’s at work.”
Feeling happier to offload the burden, I follow Nancy to the impressive house opposite and pray that Keith Wickham has the answer to something we don’t have the first clue about handling.
As soon as we step outside though, we see a white van heading towards us and step back to allow it to pass.
I see the name on the side which shows me it’s a hire vehicle and wonder if the person is moving in like us. We ‘moved ourselves’ and so I smile at the man who looks lost as he winds down his window.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for Jasmine Davis, I have a delivery for her.”
“Oh, it’s opposite, number 25. There’s nobody home I’m afraid, but if it’s a parcel I can sign for it if you like?”
He laughs as if I’ve said something funny, and his expression makes me a little worried that we’ve spoken out of turn as he looks at us with a bitter expression.
“No need, I’ll just put it on the driveway.”
He nods his thanks and carries on and we wait for him to pass before crossing the road, intent on heading straight to the Wickham’s. Before we make it there, we notice the man pull up erratically on the kerb, churning up the grass on the verge outside their house.
I stare at Nancy in horror and she says crossly, “How inconsiderate, wait a minute, I’ll have words with him.”
She changes direction and heads towards Jasmine’s house and I follow, feeling as annoyed as she is.
“Excuse me, but you can’t park there, look at the damage your tyres have done.”
The man slams the driver’s door as he heads to the rear of his van and shrugs, “Doesn’t bother me.”
“Well it bothers me! I’m their neighbour and you should have more respect for people’s property than this.”
“Well, I don’t.”
The driver opens the door and I see a strange mixture of furniture and bags cluttering up the van and think it all a bit strange because usually you would expect to see rows upon rows of cardboard boxes instead and an uneasy feeling grips me. Who is this man?
Nancy is beside herself with rage and says firmly, “Please move, Jasmine’s husband will be home at any moment and will be angry when he sees the state of his front lawn.”
Turning to face us, the man’s expression twists in a mask of anger and I get an extremely bad feeling about this as he sneers, “You see, that’s the thing. I’m Jasmine’s husband and I’ll do what the hell I like, so if you mind your own business, I’ll carry on with the reason I’m here.”
For a moment we just stare at him in shock and he laughs bitterly.
“You didn’t know, then again, I’m not surprised.”
“Know what?”
Nancy’s voice is full of shock and I don’t blame her as something about the man strikes me as familiar.
Laughing bitterly, he waves towards the items in the van.
“Then let me fill you in. Liam is my brother; Jasmine is my wife and they tore apart our family by running off together. What do you think about your good old neighbours now?”
He turns away and jumps into the van, seizing bin bags and throwing them unceremoniously from the back of the
van into the front garden.
I stare at Nancy in shock as the pile grows and she whispers, “I’d better text Jasmine.”
Whipping out her phone, she starts typing as we hear an angry, “Stop that at once, what’s going on.”
Sandra Wickham comes charging towards us, looking so ferocious my heart sinks with relief because it would take a brave man to go up against our formidable neighbour.
She stops beside us and says angrily, “Stop that immediately, you can’t deposit your rubbish here, remove it at once.”
The man growls, “Mind your own business, you interfering old hag, I’ve every right to do this.”
“How dare you!” Sandra immediately turns red and shouts, “I’ll call the police, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”
“Go on then, I’m doing nothing wrong.”
Sandra looks at us in astonishment and I whisper, “Apparently, this is Jasmine’s husband and this is her stuff.”
“Her husband, but…”
For the first time, I see Sandra Wickham lost for words as we all stare open-mouthed at a man who looks very much like Liam confirming that his story could be true. Nancy whispers, “I’ve texted Jasmine, but there’s no reply. Poor thing, I knew none of this. I’m sure this will come as quite a shock.”
Forgetting why we’re even here at all, the three of us just stare in horror and disbelief as the man throws Jasmine’s possessions onto their front garden and then starts pushing items of furniture to the door of the van. Sandra says firmly, “Oh no, I will not allow you to leave furniture, stop this at once.”
Looking bored, the man stops what he’s doing and fixes us with a resigned look. “Listen girls, I know you’re thinking about your neighbours, at least I think you are but listen up. Your friends are the worst kind of scum and don’t deserve your help. My brother went against his own blood to take something that didn’t belong to him. He wanted what I had and as usual made it his mission to get it. I loved my wife and you’d think three years of marriage would demand some loyalty, but no. She couldn’t leave fast enough, showing me that she’s only interested in one thing—what she wants. Well, they can rot in hell together as far as I’m concerned because he’s welcome to the traitorous bitch. They are no longer welcome in our family and have made their choice and now have to live with it. I’m just returning her stuff, so if you have any compassion for someone who has just lost not only his brother but his wife as well, please let me do this and then leave to pick up the pieces of my life and try to move on.”
I think every single one of us feels compassion for the man who stands looking emotional and weary before us. I can tell he’s upset and apparently has every right to be so. Sandra Wickham is shaking her head and muttering, “Disgusting, poor man.”
Nancy is quiet beside me and I don’t know where to look.
As the furniture breaks on contact with their driveway, we watch a man cleansing his demons in the most damaging way. It feels wrong to intrude on a moment of revenge because I’m guessing this results from a lot of pain and anger. It doesn’t feel right to intrude, and yet how can anything about this be right? Jasmine and Liam, the perfect couple, or so we all thought. The thing is, there is nothing perfect about this at all, just incredibly sad and no doubt devastating for all involved.
Chapter 25
Sandra
It takes a lot to shock me, but this has. Seeing the poor man venting his anger in a situation completely out of control, shocks me because I’m feeling as if I’d like to lend a hand. Jasmine and Liam committed adultery and worse, with Liam’s brother. It makes me look at them in a different light, and I’m not sure if moving here was such a good idea. Do people have no morals these days? Is it a case of having whatever you want and iron out the details later? I’m guessing it is because who in their right minds does this? It’s inhuman and frankly I want nothing more to do with them.
From their blatant disregard for their own property, to their lack of compassion or guilt for another makes it very clear these are not people I want to associate with.
They’ve always looked at Keith and me as if we’re beneath them. Not worthy of their time and an irritation they have to suffer, when all the time it was them who were not worthy of our time.
Feeling sorry for the man venting his anger in the cruellest of ways, I turn and head home. I no longer care what he does, and I no longer want to watch.
To my surprise, Esme and Nancy turn with me and Nancy says in a low voice, “Sandra, do you have a minute?”
I look up in surprise and see two anxious women looking at me with apparent nerves and I say abruptly, “Only if it doesn’t concern the Davis’s.”
They nod and fall into step beside me and Nancy says urgently, “We were on our way to see you concerning a matter we don’t know what to make of.”
Feeling intrigued, I nod and say quickly, “Follow me.”
As we head inside, I’m glad to close the door on a situation I want no part in and sighing, wave towards the kitchen.
“Follow me and I’ll put the kettle on. I would suggest something stronger but it is early and well, maybe it’s best if we keep a clear head.”
I wonder what they need help with because I’m realising that most of the time, the people around here don’t want our help at all but one look at their faces tells me something serious has happened, so I say quickly, “Ok, tell me your problem while the kettle boils and I’ll try to help if I can.”
Esme looks uncomfortable and so does Nancy, which strikes me as odd because Nancy is always so self-assured and confident. It must be serious.
Nancy appears nervous as she says, “The thing is, Sandra, it’s about the house opposite, you know, the one that backs onto our garden.”
“Number 9?”
“Yes.”
Nancy appears worried and looks to Esme for support, who nods. “My son Billy told me he saw somebody waving a red piece of material out of the upstairs window, as if they were signalling for help.”
Nancy adds, “Ryan saw it too, and we were wondering what to do about it.”
“Is that it? Why the drama? It was probably someone cleaning and was shaking the dust from the rag. I’ve done the same countless times. In fact, that’s probably it because that woman was gardening earlier and appears on some sort of mission. In fact, I’ve not long left her, so as you can see, there’s a perfectly innocent explanation for it.”
They appear uncomfortable and then Esme says, “The thing is, there’s something not quite right about that house.”
Nancy nods. “Jasmine told me the man who lives there is on their database and is a known criminal.”
“What?” I spin around and look at Nancy incredulously and she blushes a little and says meekly. “Don’t ask how I know but it’s come to our attention they may be using one of the bedrooms for some kind of photography. They’ve set it up with a black sheet on the bed and a camera trained on it. What do you think that means, Sandra, because it feels very sinister? Also, Jasmine told me the man, Mr Evans, is a known criminal who escaped a jail sentence not long ago and is renting number 9 from that estate agents in town. What do you think is going on because, quite frankly, we’re imagining all sorts?”
My head is spinning and I think back to the woman gardening, looking a little strange when I mentioned pushing some work her husband’s way. Even then something didn’t add up and I can see why my neighbours are worried.
The kettle boils and I set about making the drinks and think fast. They may have a point; it certainly doesn’t sound like normal behaviour but then again, it could be and we don’t want to go around there all guns blazing with no factual evidence.
Handing them the mugs of tea, I say with curiosity, “How did you find out, about the room, I mean?”
Nancy looks as if she’s about to pass out and mumbles, “Um, Ryan saw something when his drone flew a little too close to their upstairs window. He was doing a project for school involving, um, maps and got a little
more than he bargained for when his drone went off at an angle.”
“Hmm.” I look at Nancy sharply because I’m not stupid, and if her son was working on a school project, then I’m the Queen of England.
I think for a moment and then sigh heavily. “Leave it with me. I’ll mention it to Keith when he comes home from his golf club. I’m sure as active members of the neighbourhood watch committee, we will venture round there later and see if everything’s ok.”
They look relieved and I’m sure it’s because now they’ve passed the burden on, they can shelve the blame onto someone else if anything untoward is going on. Is something unpleasant going on? I mean, the woman seemed pleasant enough. Maybe there’s a perfectly innocent explanation for all this, in fact the more I think of it there must be because nothing sinister ever happens in developments as prestigious as Meadow Vale.
Chapter 26
Jasmine
As soon as I saw Nancy’s text, I reached for my pills, my hands shaking. I’ve just finished a meeting with one of the partners in charge of Victor’s case and am reeling from the verbal onslaught of a man who thinks we’re all imbeciles, me more than anyone.
I know my head’s not been in this case, or my heart and he pulled me apart in front of the others on my team, leaving me feeling worthless and like something the cat dragged in.
Thomas, my colleague, heads my way and smiles sympathetically. “Cheer up Jasmine, it wasn’t that bad. He’s been in a foul mood since they lost the Sullivan case and is taking it out on anybody that even breathes near him. Just be glad you can escape it when you go home at night. Imagine living with him.”
I try to smile but feel a little out of sorts. My head’s spinning and I feel as if I’m losing control. First this infernal case and now that text message. As Thomas turns to leave, I say on the spur of the moment, “Thomas, did you work on that case involving the drugs bust last November?”
